Posted by nmk on December 3, 2003, at 15:05:29
In reply to Want to get pregnant, have to drop parnate..ugh, posted by loni on December 2, 2003, at 16:27:39
> Early next year, my husband and I would like to try and become pregnant. I am working with my pDoc and OBGYN...I know I will be stopping my "drug cocktail" to try (currently Parnate, Ativan, Neurontin and Cytomel). I have been given an option to be on Prozac DURING pregnancy.
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> I would just like to dialogue with anyone who has had to do this. I'm nervous about withdrawal (my last W/D from Effexor was so bad that they thought I had MS symptoms at first and then they gave me a CAT scan...what a nightmare.) I don't know how long it will take to get pregnant or if I will get pregnant at all. (I'll be 38 yo). I will feel so sorry for my husband (hving to deal with my emotional state) and wonder if I'll even want to have sex! I don't know what fertility drugs can do to mood. And finally, I wonder about post-partum depression.
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> All good eh?
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> Any other women out there who have gone through this? Thanks much.
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Hi Loni,I had to jump in on this one since I have been through the whole pregnancy/med thing AND a crippling post-partum depression, which I am slowly recovering from after almost two years.
Anyway, here is my long but hopefully helpful story. Eight years ago I gave birth to twins. After weaning them at 4 months of age, I experienced the most horrible depression of my life; complete with mixed states, severe agitation, insomnia, and panic. I was prescribed zoloft and klonopin and after a few months I felt better. I muddled through the next 6 years on this combo, and although I had some ups and downs, they were minor bumps and I bounced back quickly.
When I decided to get pregnant again, I was fearful of going off my meds and consulted with my OB, pdoc, and a genetic counselor. They all agreed that it was safe for me to stay on the zoloft (50 mg) and they switched me to 1 mg of ativan for sleep. As I did the first time around, I went through infertility treatments the second time, including injectible gonal F, and artificial insemination. After the fourth try, I became pregnant. The fertility drugs did not seem to effect my mood but during the first trimester, I was extremely anxious and had trouble sleeping.
After the first trimester, I felt absolutely wonderful....no depression, anxiety, etc.. (if only I could stay pregnant forever). Also, I was well after the birth of my boy up until 4 months postpartum when I weaned him. This time around, I wasn't so lucky. I can't even begin to describe how horrible I felt....severe depression, agitation, etc... We tried increasing the zoloft, trying other ssri's, stimulants but nothing seemed to help. We then added Trileptal to the mix which seemed to help, but eventually it pooped out.
It is now almost two years after the birth of my baby and I am slowly starting to heal. I have finally been diagnosed BP II and that has changed the course of my treatment and made such a difference. My doctor switched me to Lamictal and although I still have my up's and down's (the downs ALWAYS occurring one to two weeks before my period) I am far from where I was.
My advice to you is to work closely with both your pdoc and ob/gyn. Depending on the "category" of the meds, you may be able stay on some of your meds or they may switch you to something else. It was a tough decision for me to continue to take the meds during my pregnancy, but it was an informed decision based on a lot of soul-searching and education. I know that some women do not take their meds during the first trimester since this time is critical for fetal development but eventually, restart in the second trimester. You need to do what is best for your emotional health. As my pdoc once said, there is far greater risk to the unborn baby to have a stressed out, depressed, anxious mom.
One other thing.....during my first ultrasound, my pdoc wrote an order to have a very detailed scan, above and beyond the usual. Here, they checked for cleft lip and palette. This will most certainly put you at ease.
I apologize for the long-winded reply but I felt a need to share with you my experiences and hopefully help you. Please feel free to write again, I would be happy to help.
Good luck to you.
Nicole
poster:nmk
thread:285997
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031202/msgs/286263.html